Bittersweet Memories
by Mizuki Rin
Summary: Every time Yuuri looks at Makkachin he can't help but think about Vicchan. But on the anniversary of the day Yuuri left for detroit he still feels guilty for not visiting more, but Victor makes him feel a little better.


**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters even if I wish I did.**

Yuuri was sitting on his and Victors sofa reading a book, it was his day off unfortunately Victor still had training so Yuuri was home alone. He was really getting into the story when he felt his stomach growl, Yuuri put his book down and got up and went in the kitchen. He was making himself a simple lunch Yuuri was feeling a little homesick so he decided to make the Japanese dish of onigiri (rice balls). As the rice was cooking Yuuri was preparing the different fillings he would use; Salmon, Konbu (dried kelp) and Umeboshi (dried Japanese plum). As Yuuri starter to mold the onigiri he felt makkachin pawing at his leg, he looked down and smiled. He feeds Makkachin some of the cooked salmon "You're just like Vicchan he use to love the salmon onigiri my mother made me." Yuuri said knowing that Makkachin wouldn't understand him, Yuuri gave Makkachin some more food then put some of the onigiri on a plate and put the rest in the fridge for Victor. Yuuri sat at the table eating his lunch with Makkachin sitting on the floor next to him, hoping to get some more of the delicious food Yuuri had prepared. Yuuri couldn't help but glance at Makkachin every now and then until his mind started to wonder to a memory of Vicchan.

 _Yuuri has had Vicchan for a week and he has noticed one habit his lovely puppy has, every time Yuuri is eating Vicchan will jump into his lap to try and get a bite of food. Like today, Yuuri was sitting at the_ _kotatsu enjoying some egg rolls when little Vicchan jumped into his lap just as he was about to bite the roll._

" _Vicchan! You know that you're not allowed on people's lap while their eating." Yuuri exclaimed putting his chopsticks down to move Vicchan off his lap. But just as Yuuri went to take another bite Vicchan jumped back into his lap._

" _Vicchan. I have already told you no." Yuuri said to the little dog staring up at him. Yuuri moved Vicchan off his lap once again and went back to eating._

 _This time Vicchan didn't jump back onto Yuuris lap, he laid down with a sad whine and watched Yuuri eat. About a minute later Yuuri felt something on his leg and looked down to see Vicchan's paw on his lap but Vicchan still didn't jump on his lap but continued to watch Yuuri. Yuuri finished his egg rolls and sighed._

" _Come on Vicchan I'm finished now." Yuuri said patting his lap to show Vicchan that it was okay to climb into his lap._

 _Vicchan climbed onto his master's lap and looked at the table and saw the empty plate he looked up at Yuuri with a sad whine._

" _You know human food isn't good for dogs, I'll get you some treats for being a good boy." Yuuri smiled down at his puppy._

 _As soon as Vicchan heard the words 'treats' and 'good boy' he jumped up at Yuuri licking Yuuris face in excitement. Yuuri couldn't help but laugh and lost his balance and fell back so he was lying down. But this didn't discourage Vicchan he continued licking Yuuri causing him to laugh more. Hiroko walked in ten minutes later and smiled at the sight of her son sleeping with Vicchan on his chest she took a photo to show Yuuri later._

Yuuri snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a paw tap his leg, he looked down and saw Makkachin pawing at his leg.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Yuuri asked the poodle, while patting Makkachins head.

At the word 'walk' Makkachin lept up and ran to the door and sat down waiting for Yuuri to get ready. Yuuri got up put his plate in the sink, put his coat, scarf, hat and gloves on before grabbing the lead and putting it in his pocket (just in case he needs it) and opened the front door and followed Makkachin out. He locked the door and walked to the dog park, they stopped so Makkachin could pee but it didn't take long to get to the park. Once they arrived the dog park was nearly empty other than a couple other dogs and their owners. Yuuri played fetch for a little bit but took a seat on a nearby bench when it started to lightly snow and Makkachin decided that chasing snowflakes was more fun than fetch. This brought back the memory of Vicchans first snow encounter when he was still a puppy.

 _Yuuri had just come in from helping his dad shovel the snow away from the front door he had finished taking his coat, shoes, hat, gloves and scarf off. When Vicchan ran up to him and jumped up his legs barking at Yuuri as if to ask for something. Yuuri looked at the small dog with a confused expression, not knowing what he wanted._

" _What do you want Vicchan? Are you hungry?" Yuuri went to go into the kitchen expecting Vicchan to follow him like he normally does when he's hungry. So Yuuri walked back to the miniature poodle, trying to think of what he wanted._

" _Okay, not hungry…." Then Yuuri realised._

" _Do you want to play outside?" Yuuri asked. Vicchan barked once as if to say yes, this brought a smile to Yuuris face he grabbed so dog treats, Vicchans ball, put his hat, gloves, scarf, and shoes back on. He clipped on Vicchans lead and went outside. Vicchan looked at the snow by the front door and sniffed it with curiosity, it was the first time the small animal had encountered it but he continued walking with his master to the park. When they got to the park it was empty like everywhere else the snow on the path had turned to slush. Yuuri stopped unhooked Vicchans lead and walked a few feet onto a field of snow, Vicchan started to follow him but stopped before touching the snow still cautious of the unknown element._

 _So to encourage the dog Yuuri called him while show Vicchan his favourite ball._

" _Come on Vicchan, it's okay the snow won't hurt you. Look do you want to play fetch." Yuuri said to his dog trying to get him on the snow. Vicchans ears perked up when he saw his ball and heard the name of his favourite game. Still being cautious Vicchan slowly stepped onto the snow and made his way to Yuuri. When Vicchan reached his master he was praised and given a treat._

 _It took a little bit of time but eventually Vicchan was running through the snow happily playing fetch. At one point he decided that rolling around in the snow was more enjoyable than fetch, and Yuuri couldn't hold in his laughter when a white miniature poodle came up to him instead of a little brown one. They played together in the snow Yuuri throwing small snowballs for Vicchan to catch and giving him treats every now and then for being a good boy. Eventually they went back home when it started to snow again, Hiroko and Toshiya couldn't help but laugh when they saw Vicchan who still partly white from playing in the snow. Yuuri dried Vicchan off and they both sat at the kotatsu warming up some more before dinner._

Yuuri wiped the tear from his eye not wanting to cry in public, Makkachin was still chasing snowflakes but Yuuri stood up to play fetch with Makkachin again. About 10 minutes later the snow started to get heavier so Yuuri and Makkachin headed home, Yuuri dried Makkachins fur and made himself a hot drink. Yuuri sat on the sofa with a book he tried to work out why he kept thinking of Vicchan, he normally think about him every now and then when he looks at Makkachin but today it was happening more than usual. That's when he realised today marked the day he got Vicchan and not only that but it also marked the day he left Vicchan to move to Detroit, Yuuri thought that it was ironic how one of the happiest days and one of the saddest days of his life fall on the same day.

 _Yuuri came home after having a horrible day, first he was late for school, then he realised that he had forgot his homework and had to stay behind to do it again, then when he finally made it to the ice rink he was already 45 minutes late to his skating lesson so the instructor told him to go home and that he would have to catch up to everyone next time, and then it started to rain as he walked home so he was now standing in the front entrance to the hot spring dripping wet._

" _I'm home" Yuuri said, his mum saw him and smiled, she handed him a towel._

" _Welcome home." Hiroko smiled Yuuri took his shoes and coat off and started to dry his hair._

" _How was your day?" Hiroko asked._

" _Horrible I just want to forget about it and warm up." Yuuri sighed._

" _You go soak in a hot spring and leave your uniform out so I can wash and dry it for you" Hiroko smiled as her son nodded and walked to his room._

 _About an hour later Yuuri was clean, warm and watching TV, Hiroko had put his clothes in the wash and was working on dinner. Mari walked in and sat next to Yuuri muttering a hi. Ten minutes later Yuuri realised that he hasn't seen his dad yet._

" _Mari, where's dad?" Yuuri asked not looking away from the TV._

" _He went out after speaking to mum not long after you got home." Mari responded._

 _Five minutes Yuuri heard something in the front entrance but just assumed it was another customer and carried on watching TV._

" _Hi Yuuri, Mari" Toshiya greeted his children, they both looked at him and welcomed him home._

" _Yuuri dinner won't be long so why don't you go and do your homework until then so you don't have to worry about it later." Toshiya smiled. Yuuri sighed but nodded his head and went to his room._

 _Yuuri went into his room and sat at his desk to start his homework, then out of the corner of his eye he saw something move. He turned and looked at his bed something under his duvet moved as he watched a little lump work its way up his bed. Yuuri stood up slowly and walked cautiously to his bed and grabbed the top of his duvet and pulled it back, revealing a small toy poodle with chocolate fur and a red collar. Yuuri just stared at the dog not believing that it was real he had to stop himself from yelling with joy because he didn't want to scare the animal, the little dog stared up at Yuuri and barked to get his attention. Yuuri snapped out of his daze he held his hand out to the puppy and beamed with happiness when the dog sniffed and licked his hand, Yuuri gently picked up the small animal and held it close. Yuuri walked out of his room with that dog still in his hands, he went straight to the kitchen where his mum was talking to his dad._

" _You got me a dog?" Yuuri asked when they saw him walk in._

" _Well your mother told me how bad your day was and we were thinking of getting you one the past few days. So we agreed that you could use a pick me up and your grades have been improving so I went and got him while you were in the hot spring." Toshiya smiled while Hiroko nodded along._

" _I also brought the collar he's wearing as well as; a lead, dog bed, food, some treats, toys, food and water bowls, claw clippers and a brush for his fur. All you have to do is name him, train him, and look after him remember this little dog is your responsibility." Toshiya said emphasising 'your responsibility'._

 _Yuuri nodded his head he handed the Toy poodle to his mum and gave his dad a hug._

" _Thank you so, so much this means everything to me. I promise I'll look after him and train him."_

 _Yuuri then moved to give his mum and hug after she handed Toshiya the dog, when they broke apart Yuuri took the puppy back and looked at the puppy already knowing what he's going to name him._

" _Victor" Yuuri said._

" _What was that?" Hiroko asked._

" _His name is Victor, after Victor Nikiforov." Yuuri answered gesturing to the dog. Hiroko and Toshiya nodded, they smiled at how happy they had made him as he walked out of the kitchen to go show off his new best friend. It was the next day that the nickname Vicchan was given to the small dog._

 _Through the years Vicchan had helped Yuuri a lot, he always seemed to know when Yuuri had a bad day and would always be able to cheer him up. Vicchan helped and comforted Yuuri when he sprained his ankle after landing a jump wrong, Vicchan was there for Yuuri through every up and down he faced and no matter what Yuuri always made time for his favourite little doggie. And then Yuuri had to leave._

 _Age 18 Yuuri moved to Detroit to train under a new coach and Vicchan couldn't go with him. So Yuuri spent the whole day before playing with Vicchan trying to make up for the time he would be gone. The day Yuuri left he promised Vicchan that he would see him very soon and that he had to behave until he got back home, Vicchan barked as if to agree._

 _The time Yuuri was in Detroit he would try and facetime his family as often as he could. Sometimes he would see Vicchan in the background or the dog would be sitting on Hirokos lap as she talked to her son. But Yuuri never saw Vicchan in person… and then he got the heartbreaking call from Mari about how Vicchan had passed away and how they made a shrine for him. But the only thought going through Yuuris head was:_

' _My best friend is gone… I let him down...I'm never going to see him again...Never going to walk, brush or play with Vicchan again… I lied to him… I broke my promise of seeing him soon… he's never coming back.'_

 _These thoughts ran through Yuuris head he couldn't even concentrate on his skating, and then he couldn't even get a picture with his idol because of the thoughts of his friend._

Yuuri didn't realise that he had started to cry, he didn't hear Makkachin whine at him as if to see what's wrong, he didn't notice that he was mumbling the things he thought when he found out about Vicchan, and he didn't pay attention when Victor came home and called for him.

Victor entered the apartment and was surprised when no one greeted him, not even Makkachin the place was silent until Victor heard the sniffling coming from the living room. At that Victor ran the the sitting from and the sight he saw was heartbreaking Yuuri was sitting on the sofa with his knees drawn to his chest head bowed, a half drunk hot chocolate on the table, a book on the floor and Makkachin pawing at Yuuri to get his attention.

Victor rushed over to Yuuri and gently manoeuvred the crying brunette onto his lap. So Yuuris head was on Victors chest, while Victor ran his hand up and down Yuuris back trying to calm him down. He didn't know what was wrong with fiancé but he had to calm him down to find out.

"Calm down darling, it'll be okay. I'm here to help you but you need to calm down." Victor said pressing a kiss to Yuuris head. Yuuri just buried his face into Victor's shirt and wrapped his arms around Victors waist.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Victor didn't think Yuuri was but just wanted to double check. Yuuri shook his head, Victor nodded and and continued to soothe Yuuri. Makkachin had left the two of them alone after realising that Victor will handle Yuuri. They stayed like that for another ten minutes, Yuuri finally stopped crying and went to climb out of Victors lap but Victor wouldn't let him go.

"Will you tell me what got you so upset?" Victor asked with a concerned look. Yuuri rested his head on Victor shoulder and sighed.

"Every time I looked at Makkachin it reminds of the time I spent with Vicchan but normally only for a second or two. But today marks the anniversary of the day i got as well as the day I left him. When I left him I promised that I would see him soon. But I didn't I only a few times on facetime, I broke the promise I made he must of hated me the day he died I wasn't even there to comfort him. I hate myself for not being there for him I abandoned him and didn't see him for five years." Tears started to well in his eyes again but Victor wiped them away and held Yuuri close.

"I don't think Vicchan hated you at all. I bet he would be proud of how far you have come from what I heard from your family you loved Vicchan with all your heart and he loved you. Nothing can change that love." Victor said he knew that Yuuri needed to be told that because Yuuri held onto him tighter.

Victor decided that the rest of the evening would be spent eating takeout and watching Yuuris favourite films. Later in bed Yuuri told Victor all of the things he thought when he found out Vicchan had died, he also shared some fond memories he had. When he started to get tears in his eyes Victor wiped them away and reassured him again. Makkachin came to lay with them and Victor went to send Makkachin out because he didn't want Yuuri to get upset again. But Yuuri stopped him saying that it was okay and they all laid in bed. Yuuri cuddled up to Victor, Victor holding Yuuri tight and Makkachin at the bottom of the bed.

"Goodnight Vitya, sorry about crying on you." Yuuri sighed as he clung harder to Victor.

"Goodnight darling, don't be sorry I'm your fiancé its what Im here for." Victor kissed the top of Yuuris head.

"Thank you, I love you."

"I love you too."

They both fell asleep wrapped up in each other's arms Victor already knowing what he was getting Yuuri for his birthday.

 **Thank you for reading I will accept any feedback you have, as well as if you have any requests for future stories I will happily accept them and write them to the best of my ability. Follow me on Tumblr.**


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